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Eleventh District U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows filed a motion Tuesday to remove House Speaker John Boehner from his post.

The resolution appears unlikely to pass but could become a distraction for Boehner, who has a difficult relationship with the conservative wing of the House caucus to which Meadows belongs.

Meadows, a Jackson County Republican who is in his second term, told reporters in Washington that he hoped his action prompted a “discussion” with Boehner and other House leaders “about representing the American people. It’s about fairness.”

Meadows said he wants Boehner and other GOP leaders to make sure that “every voice and every vote is respected, and votes of conscience are respected and not punished.”

The resolution filed late Tuesday afternoon says Boehner has attempted to “consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 members of Congress and the people they represent.” It faults Boehner for using his office to punish congressmen and says he “uses the legislative calendar to create crises ... in order to compel (congressmen) to vote for legislation.”

The motion is to be referred to the House Rules Committee, which is full of Boehner allies and would be unlikely to send it to the full House.

However, Wednesday is the House’s last day of business before members return to their districts for a lengthy August recess. Meadows’ action is likely to prompt more discussions of Boehner between congressmen and constituents during that time.

If the Rules Committee does not act, it would take the signatures of 218 House members on a discharge petition to bring Meadows’ resolution to the House floor for a vote. Early reaction from political observers suggests that is unlikely to happen.

Or, Meadows could later file what is called a “privileged” motion seeking Boehner’s ouster that would go directly to the House floor.

Meadows was one of 25 Republicans who either voted against Boehner for speaker in January or voted “present” in protest. In June, the head of the House Oversight Committee removed Meadows from a subcommittee chairmanship in what was viewed as punishment for a Meadows vote against a procedural measure related to a trade bill backed by House leadership.

But more conservative members of the committee banded together to fight the move and Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, backed down a week later.

GOP v. GOP

The acrimony within the Republican Party has been on stark display in Congress. Last Friday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., of lying about votes. And more Republican infighting broke out Monday night as an email from an aide to Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested that conservative groups should take Lee’s fellow Republicans to task if they opposed him on a legislative maneuver to advance a repeal of President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Lee’s move angered Republicans, and Lee sought to contain the damage, telling colleagues in a closed-door meeting that he hadn’t authorized the email.

Boehner’s office had no comment Tuesday on Meadows’ action. He is in his third term as speaker.

“You don’t raise any money, you need a way to raise money, you do gimmicks like this,” said Nunes, who is close to Boehner.

Meadows disputed that claim.

“This is really more about an issue of fairness. It is not about raising money” for re-election, said Meadows, who faced only a token challenge for re-election in 2014.

Some GOP lawmakers backing leadership voiced concern that by keeping his effort to depose Boehner alive during the August recess, Meadows would blunt the Republican effort to focus voters on why President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran is bad.

“There’s been no one that’s been stronger on the Iran message. And to suggest we can only have one message when we go back home to talk to the American people would be to imply that our town halls can only have one question,” Meadows said.

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., who has experienced the wrath of the leadership and is a Boehner foe, complained that the leaders are “not listening to the American people.” He faulted leaders for not allowing quick votes against same-sex marriage and federal money for Planned Parenthood.

“He just has the courage to do something about it,” Jones said of Meadows.

A surprise

The move appeared to catch even Meadows’ allies in the House off guard.

“My first reaction is I’m getting spoofed,” Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz and a fellow co-founder of the conservative Freedom Caucus, told The Hill.

“Quite honestly I’m curious, like, what’s the point, what’s the point here?” Perry said. “I like Mark. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what the point of this is.”

“The key is always what happens next,” Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, said of booting Boehner, Roll Call reported. “Do we elect someone who is more liberal, or someone who is more conservative as speaker of the House?”

The conservative group FreedomWorks, which is usually aligned with Tea Party groups, praised the move.

“Every time defenders of freedom need a leader, John Boehner has failed us,” FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon said in a statement. “It’s time to remove Boehner from the speakership before it’s too late to pass bold reforms. Under his speakership, the Republican-controlled House has allowed taxes and spending to increase and their agenda revolves more about pleasing lobbyists than standing on principle. It’s time to end the Boehner Blunder.”

Brandon promised support for Meadows, saying, “His courage and willingness to risk everything from committee placements to fundraising in order to do what’s right is an inspiration to us all. We will be there, alongside our millions of activists across the country, to support this effort.”